Harness frame



J. E. BLANGHARD March 18, 1941;

mumsss mm,

Filed March- 16, 1940 aria? Jarepz I Patented Mar. 18, 1941 iJNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARNESS FRAME Application March 16, 1940, Serial No. 324,331

3 Claims.

This invention relates to harness frames used for manipulating the warp threads in textile looms. These harnesses, as used in wide loo-ms, are of substantial length and it is customary to provide one or more center bars or transverse supports to stiffen the frames vertically. It is also customary to provide one or more heddle bar posts for intermediate support of. the heddle bars.

It is the general object of my invention to provide an improved construction in which a center bar and a pair of heddle bar posts are combined in a single reinforcing structure.

More specifically I provide a construction in which a center bar is directly connected at its opposite ends .to a pair of heddle bar posts and is held in such engagement by the same sliding keepers which secure the heddle bars to the posts.

My invention also relates to certain arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a partial front elevation of a harness frame embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a heddle bar post, with the parts in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a front view, looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an exploded side elevation of the three parts of the heddle bar post;

Fig. 6 is a partial front view of a center bar;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in a different relation; and

' Fig. 8 is a partial front view of a modified 49 center bar.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown portions of a harness frame comprising an upper frame member In, alower frame member I I, end connections l2, upper and lower heddle bars I4 5 and a plurality of heddles l5, all of which are of the usual construction. I have also shown a center bar 20 of circular cross-section and having flattened end portions 2| recessed at 22 to provide end cross members 23.

5O Heddle bar posts P are fixed to the upper and lower frame members 10 and II, commonly by screwing the posts thereto. Each post P comprises a fixed member 30 (Fig. 5), a sliding casing member or keeper 3| and a spring 32.

5.5 The spring is inserted between the outer end of the casing member 31) and the closed end of the keeper 3|, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the keeper is held from displacement by a cross pin 33 extending through elongated slots 34 in the opposite sides of the keeper. The general construction of the heddle bar posts P is substantially similar to that shown in the prior patent of Spencer and Dodge, No. 2,140,061.

In the present construction, however, the transverse opening 36 in the fixed member 30 is provided with a more deeply slotted downward extension 31 adapted to receive the end cross member 23 of the center bar 20, as shown in Fig. 7. The opening 38 in the keeper 3| has a similar slotted downward extension 39.

The method of assemblingthe parts is clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 2. The end cross member 23 of the center bar 20 is first inserted in the slotted extension 31 of the fixed member 30. The upper and lower frame members 10 and H may be sprung toward each other sufiiciently to permit this insertion. The keeper 3| is then pushed upward from the position shown in Fig. 3 .to the position shown in Fig. 7, and a heddle bar I4 is then moved sidewise into the transverse openings 36 and 38 in the members 30 and 3|. The sliding member or keeper is then released and the spring 32 forces it outward to the position shown in Fig. 2, thus locking the heddle bar M in the heddle bar post P and at the same time looking the end cross member 23 of the center bar 20 to the fixed post member 39.

The center bar 20 thus connects the fixed post members 30 of the upper and lower heddle bar posts and is directly and entirely supported by these fixed members. But at the same time separation of the center bar and fixed members is prevented by the heddle bars M, which in turn are held from displacement by the sliding members or keepers 3|.

Consequently an extremely rigid connection between the upper and lower frame members I!) and II is provided by the center bars 20 and the fixed members 30, while at the same time either the heddle bars or center bars may be conveniently removed.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modified construction in wihch the center bar is made of flat stock, with its end portions 4| twisted and recessed at 42 as in the construction previously described. This modified center bar may be used as a substitute construction for the center bar made from round stock and shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

Having thus described my invention and'the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but What I claim is:

1. In a loom harness having top and bottom frame members and heddle bars, in combination, a center bar having flat recessed ends disposed parallel to the plane of said harness, heddle bar posts fixed to said top and bottom frame members and each having an opening in one side approximately equal in height to the width of said heddle bar and provided with a notched outwardly extending portion adapted to receive and directly engage a center barend, and a yieldingly movable keeper slidably mounted on each post and normally positioned to lock said heddle bar in said opening and to thereby prevent displacement of said center bar end from said opening in said fixed post member.

2. In a loom harness having top and bottom frame members and heddle bars, in combination, a center bar formed of round stock and having flattened recessed ends disposed parallel to the plane of said harness, heddle bar posts fixed to said top and bottom frame members and each having an opening in one side approximately equal in height to the width of said heddle bar and provided with a notched outwardly extending portion adapted to receive and directly engage a center bar end cross member, and a yieldingly movable keeper slidably mounted on each post and normally positioned to lock said heddle bar in said opening and to thereby prevent displacement of said center bar end from said opening in said fixed post member.

3. In a loom harness having top and bottom frame members and heddle bars, in combination, a center bar formed of flat stock having its middle portion disposed perpendicular to the plane of the harness and having its end portions twisted and disposed substantially parallel to the plane of said harness and having its ends recessed to provide end cross members, heddle posts fixed to said top and bottom frame members and each having an opening in one side approximately equal in height to the Width of said heddle bar and provided With a notched outwardly extending portion adapted to receive and directly engage a center bar end cross member, and, a yieldingly movable keeper slidably mounted on each post and normally positioned to lock said heddle bar in said opening and to thereby prevent displacement of said center bar end from said opening in said fixed post member.

JOSEPH E. BLANCHARD. 

